


Red Swan

by SamoShampioni



Category: Eurovision Song Contest RPF, Music RPF, Real Person Fiction
Genre: 2013, AU, AU - Birds, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Birds, Alternate Universe - Ducks, Ducklings - Freeform, Ducks, ESC, Eurovision, Eurovision 2013, Gen, Sweden - Freeform, malmo, swan - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-30
Updated: 2013-05-30
Packaged: 2017-12-13 11:27:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/823773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamoShampioni/pseuds/SamoShampioni
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eurovision duck AU that's kinda based on the fairytale of 'The Ugly Ducking'.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Red Swan

Malmo Park was world famous. It was a peaceful park, tall trees swaying in the wind as all sorts of colourful insects flew about. It was well known for the many birds that lived there. In the center of the park, there was a large lake. A small duck swam out into the water. It was Petra Mede, splashing about, many ducklings following her. Petra didn't have any eggs of her own, but she had been taught to be kind to all living creatures, and adopted the many abandoned duck eggs that littered the grassy fields all around. There was a whole troop of ducklings, all different colours and sizes, from all over the European continent. And they were hers. Petra loved them all, each and every one of them, like they were her own. Petra swam out further into the lake, over fifty tiny ducklings following her. In another universe, they would be the Eurovision entrants of 2013. But here they were just ducklings. Petra's ducklings. And she liked it that way. As the ducklings followed the Swede, it seemed that there was one that seemed a little out of place. A little red duckling who was bigger and looked stranger than the others. She had a strange beak and different feet to the others and was certainly the odd one out of the group. Emmelie de Forest. The Danish duck who was extremely out of place with the rest of them. The others weren't even sure if she was a duck. They didn't know what she was. _She_ didn't even know what she was. Petra didn't mind. She loved her just the same as the others. But the other ducklings could be mean. Very mean indeed.  
"What are you even supposed to be Emmelie," Cezar said one day, as Emmelie tried to ignore him, "You're such a strange creature. You're not a proper duck like the rest of us."  
"Like you can talk," the Dane replied angrily, "You're such a weirdo."  
"Yes," the Romanian snarled, "I can talk, because I am a real duck, and not a complete freak of nature like you!"  
"Yeah, she's all red and stuff," Valentina added, unhelpfully, "It's totally weird!"  
Ducklings can be so cruel.  
"That's enough you two, leave her alone," Petra insisted, "She's a duck just like the rest of us."  
"She's not like the rest of us," Cezar said, "I bet she's not even a duck. What if she's some horrible owl spawn and tries to eat everyone?"  
"Don't be ridiculous!" Petra yelled, "She's a duck! She's a duck and that's final!"  
But the Dane had heard enough, and with that Emmelie swam off, away from the group and into the bushes nearby.  
"Wait!" Petra yelled, "Emmelie!"  
But the Dane was already out of sight.  
\---  
The red bird swam deeper and deeper into the bushes, and, when she was sure she was far enough away from Petra and the ducklings, looked down at her reflection in the water  
"I'm not... a bad bird... am I?" she whispered to herself looking down at her reflection, "Just, what am I?"  
\---  
"Emmelie?! Emmelie?!!!" Petra yelled, as the ducklings too called for the Dane to reveal herself and rejoin the group. It had been over a week now since they had last seen Emmelie, and there was still no sign of her. It was a disaster. Things had been going so well, and now, this.  
"This is all your flamin' fault Cezar," Bonnie said angrily as the Romanian kept his distance from the rest of the group. After what felt like hours of searching, there was still no luck. The Dane was still lost, and no one knew where to find her. They had been all over the lake, searching everywhere they could think of, and still, nothing.  
Suddenly, the lake got a lot darker, as if a large shadow was being cast over them. It was then that they saw it. A huge falcon, standing there on a rock, looking down at Petra with all of her ducklings. The ducklings all swam closer to Petra, as the Swede did her best to try to lift her wings in front of them and protect all of her little ducklings.  
"Well well well," the falcon grinned, "Look what we have here. Loads of little tasty ducks. What fun we're going to have tonight."  
"Please leave us alone," Petra said, as the ducklings all huddled around her, "We've never done anything to you."  
"I don't care," the falcon laughed, "Why do you think I care about some stupid ducks?"  
The falcon then prepared to dive at them and snatch some ducklings, it seemed there was nothing that could be done, but then they heard a loud bird call in the distance. The falcon turned, distracted. At that moment they saw a flash of red feathers as a huge red swan flew out and attacked the falcon. The falcon tried to attack back but the swan put up a pretty good fight, and was even larger than the falcon. Feathers flew everywhere as Petra and the ducklings looked on. The falcon saw that this was far too much trouble for a few measly ducklings, and so, with that the bird of prey flew off, leaving the swan there, triumphant. It was a huge shock to Petra, ducks and swans didn't get on at the best of times, and now one had come to help them? There was something a little off about this swan though, it seemed a little... familiar? No... it can't be...  
"Thank you, swan," Petra said at last, the red swan perching on the same rock the falcon was on only moments before.  
The swan just laughed.  
"It's me Petra," Emmelie smiled, shaking her red feathers, "What's wrong, don't ya recognise me now? Well, I am a lot bigger now, I guess. I grew up Petra, a lot faster than you guys, you're all still so small!"  
So it was her. The swan laughed again.  
"Emmelie!" Petra smiled, "Oh, it really is you! You're back!"  
And with that Petra and the ducklings swam over to the swan. Emmelie now towered over all of the ducks, Petra was shocked how much she had grown in the past week, but then again, swans were known to grow up quickly and suddenly.  
"I think Cezar's got something to say to you," Petra quacked.  
"I... I'm sorry," the Romanian said, looking down to the water.  
"That's alright!" Emmelie laughed, "I got the last laugh in the end, I'm bigger and stronger than all of you."  
Well, that was true. Looking over the lake, it seemed she was now the strongest of all the birds who lived in Malmo Park.  
"But remember," Emmelie reminded all the ducks, "This doesn't change anything between us, and Petra, I'll always be your little duckling."  
"Of course," Petra smiled.  
The End.


End file.
